she's a rebel.

stray.

the heel of my leather combat boot tapped the pavement aggressively as i methodically strummed the strings of my acoustic guitar, exerting energy despite my exhaustion. a rickety bench in the biting detroit autumn, which felt and appeared more like a desolate winter, was not the most comfortable place to sleep. having tried and failed to coax my mother into letting me back inside the house that i had been struggling incessantly to pay bills for, i decided to retire back to the spot i'd occupied the night before to see if i could get any tips for performing. a tinge of frustration laced my voice as i growled the chorus to the smashing pumpkin's bullet with butterfly wings.

"despite all my rage, i am still just a rat in a cage.."

the lyrics may strike some - or most, rather - as odd. they stuck with me at this particular moment, however, because of the sense of powerlessness they evoked. here i was, full of angst with nothing to aim it at and nothing to do about it. just a rat in a cage.

"..then someone will say, what is lost can never be saved.."

a few passerbys dropped coins and an occassional dollar bill into my guitar's opened case, which lay on the ground beside me. i nodded at each of them gratefully, not wanting to seem as aimless as i actually was. i liked to put on this facade of knowing what i was doing, no matter the situation.

the sound of the footsteps of what seemed like a group distracted me a bit from what i was doing. it was unusual for more than a few people to be out this early, on a weekend.

"jinx," the soft tone of future caused me to look up from my instrument. it then crossed my groggy mind that i had asked him to meet me here today, when he suggested i be introduced to the rest of the so-called, "three-one-third."

"hey," i croaked.

his eyebrows furrowed in concern as his gaze wandered to the case. "the hell you doin' that for - and why you look so damn tired?" he demanded. this was my cue to embrace my snarky and all-knowing persona.

"sure money's tight for all of us these days, yeah?" i retorted with as much contention as i could muster, smirking and acknowledging the rest of the group as i slipped off the strap of my guitar. this earned a few chuckles from them, and future chose to drop the subject for now in order to present each of them individually. "you already know em," he remarked, nudging him playfully and causing his friend to roll his eyes. i, on the other hand, participated in the teasing by winking at him.

future extended his arm to point at the rest of the guys. "this is sol, iz, an' cheddar," he declared simply. warm greetings drifted my way.

i gave them the unconventional gesture of saluting them and replied, "jinx, as you may have already been informed." i froze midway into collecting my tips and carefully placing my guitar back into its case when who i believed to be cheddar spoke up.

"wow, em! she's as pretty as you said she was!" he blurted with an adorably childlike innocence. laughter erupted from the guys, and a giggle from me.

em looked like he was ready to punch him in the face, which would be hypothetically devastating considering his crutches.

wait. crutches?

as soon as my cherished instrument was tucked away safely, i reached over and put my hand atop his, which was grasping one of his crutches tightly. "what happened?" i questioned, my voice dripping with concern. he just seemed so naive - it made me hurt to see him injured, like one of those commercials with sad little puppies in animal shelters.

a dopey grin was plastered onto his face at how worried i was. "i got shot in the leg," he cooed, sounding ironically pleased given what he was telling me. i could sense a searing, jealous glare from em burning holes into the back of my neck. this didn't dissuade me from murmuring, "i'm so sorry..hope you get well soon, huh?" and granting him a friendly smile.

"em be lookin' pissed," sol remarked, snickering.

i turned away from cheddar, facing sol and the man in question. "someone's got a crush," i accused smittenly, prompting the guys to go "oooh," like a bunch of middle-schoolers.

"man, i hate y'all," em grumbled. he didn't fool me. i could see the beginnings of a smile that he was fending off. it was then that we found ourselves staring at eachother again. a heavy silence enveloped the atmosphere until future penetrated it with a cough.

"how 'bout you come wit us to the chin tiki tonight?" he suggested.

"do i look like the type to go to a club?" i griped, crossing my arms and enjoying how he fidgeted at my mock indignation. my stoneface soon faltered. "kidding, i'll come," i diffused the tension after a moment.

"just remember to respect yourself, sister," iz said gently, briefly placing his hand on my shoulder. i raised a brow, not expecting that to be the first thing out of his mouth.

"will do, iz."